QuickVPN Hangs on Vista with WRVS4400N

Issue:
QuickVPN 1.2.5 hangs on Vista Home Premium when remotely creating a VPN on a WRVS4400N router with Firmware version 1.00.16.

What is working:

The connection is made! "Online" is indicated in the WRVS4400N VPN Status. I am also able to change the VPN password remotely.

What is not working:

QuickVPN waits for the IP Ping test to the WRVS4400N Gateway to respond. Eventually, it will time out. A manual (command line) ping across the VPN of the remote gateway (WRVS4400N) fails as well.

Information:

I found a good indicator of what is happening in the firewall VPN logs. The VPN is set up properly to the point where the error is created indicating that the remote network (remote to the WRVS4400N) is unknown - the other end of the tunnel. One sub-domain is unable to see the other sub-domain. The subnet mask of the QuickVPN client is 255.255.255.255 while the subnet mask of the WRVS4400N is 255.255.255.0. The IP address of the QuickVPN client is irrelevant. Although I tested the client behind a Linksys router on a Personal area network (192.168.0.X) to the WRVS4400N network (192.168.1.X), I also tested the client in the DMZ (on the Internet - 76.26.X.X) directly to the WRVS4400N with the same results. QuickVPN considers the IP address of the client to be a subnet of one (255.255.255.255). From a little reading, the issue seems to be with the implementation of NAT-T and seems to be in the router firmware 1.00.16 and not the QuickVPN client. I also tried the latest version of QuickVPNplus with results indicating the same issue. I may try the Cisco VPN client later. Next, I need to get a copy of the WRVS4400N logs into this message.

Request:

If anyone has more information, or has been able to get QuickVPN 1.2.5 to work on a WRVS4400N 1.00.16 from any machine (even non-Vista), please let me know.

I have a WRVS4400n locally. Behind this local WRVS4400n, I have a Vista machine and an XP pro machine. I am trying using Quick VPN to connect these two computers to the remote router which is a RV042. The XP pro machine using Quick VPN connected perfectly to the remote RV042. I was able to work with the remote computers behind the RV042 using my local XP pro machine. However, the Vista machine using Quick VPN never made a complete connection. The status window on the VPN client hangs on the "Verifying Network..." stage of the connection process. At this time, I need to terminate Quick VPN using Task Manager and inside Task Manager Quick VPN shows it is "running" as opposed to "not responding." The remote router, RV042, has a static IP. The local WRVS4400n has a dynamic IP.

The Vista VPN client does not connect either.

I was on the phone with Linksys for hours only to be told that the WRVS4400n is not compatible with Vista even though the retailer who sold it to me said it was and there is nothing on the box that said it was or was not compatible.

I just upgraded to firmware 1.00.16 and I still could not connect the Vista machine and the problem was exactly the same: the Quick VPN hangs during the "Verifying Network" part of the connection.

This must be a Vista issue with the WRVS4400n because I have an XP pro machine behind the same WRVS4400n router and that machine connects perfectly.

Whats worse, I tried to return the router to Frys Electronics and they would not take it back even though the salesman told me it was vista compatible when I bought it and it took me a few months of trying to make it work on the phone with linksys before linksys told me it was not Vista compatible.

At this time, I have no further knowledge of how to make it work. What is the liklihood that Linksys or Microsoft will solve this problem?

I have had a WRVS4400N for the last 3 Months and am still unable to get it working as intended. I have tried the following firmware versions 1.00.12, 1.00.13, 1.00.15 & 1.00.16. It does work with XP SP2 clients when I am on version 12 but not Vista Ultimate or Business, I get the "Verifying Network" Issue. If I use version 13, 15 or 16 the client stops working all to gether on both XP & Vista all I get is the failed to estalish a connection error. This is driving me crazy! I would appreciate it if you guys could confirm to me wether you can get XP to connect on firmware 1.00.16 ?
By the way I am using an AM200 modem in Bridge mode connected to the WAN port of the WRVS4400N with QuickVPN 1.25

I upgraded to 1.00.16 firmware and I was still able to make a connection from my XP pro machine behind the WRVS4400n to a remote RV042 with an XP pro lan behind it. However, the Vista machine still hangs on the "Verifying Network" window.

It may be time for a class action lawsuit against Linksys and retailers who market the product as a VPN device especially since neither Linksys nor the retailer will give you your money back... What do you think?

From what I have read of the planned first quarter 2008 release of Microsoft's Vista SP1, the release will focus on the authentication portion of VPN's. This may only complicate the present issues with Vista compatibility with WRVS4400N's. Presently, the primary compatibility issue with Vista seems to be with Network Address Translation (NAT). Specifically, to be able to communicate with a Gateway on another domain. If Linksys releases version 17 soon, it will not be compatible with the VPN authentication in Vista SP1. If Linksys releases version 17 in 2008, there will be a lot of customers just giving up and jumping ship. This may happen anyway with the stand from Linksys that the WRVS4400N is not compatible with Vista. I hope Linksys really meant to say that the WRVS4400N is not compatible with Vista YET, that compatibility issues are being worked and a Vista compatible firmware release will be available soon. Another interesting aspect of the Microsoft release is that it includes a VPN Authentication change to XP in the planned release of XP SP3. This will make the WRVS4400N version 16 incompatible with XP SP3 as well. Since Microsoft worked as a team with Cisco to develop the VPN capabilities we have today between windows and Cisco equipment, I hope Linksys will be leveraging with their parent company (Cisco) for a seat at the Microsoft table thus releasing firmware updates across the board for Vista SP1 and XP SP3 timed at the same time as the Microsoft Release dates. I believe that Cisco already plans to do this. My real concern is that Cisco intentionally began releasing SOHO products directly in competition with their own division (Linksys) this year. If this continues, the future of Linksys customer relations will become tainted. I believe that Linksys has a good product for the SOHO market and Cisco should continue to focus on the corporate market. Once they cross lines, the fur will fly.

Did Linksys sell a flawed product. If the WRVS4400n is not fit for the particular purpose for which is was sold, there has been at the least a breach of an implied warranty of fitness. Anyone want to be the plaintiff in a class action?

Relax there big fella. From a legal point of view, Linksys only needs to show that they are making an effort to resolve the issue. All I am trying to do is encourage Linksys to become more efficient and effective with respect to their products. If you want to compare other companies, they all seem to be having issues with Vista to VPN compatibility. It is rare to find a gigabit wireless router that has XP compatible VPN capability. Even Cisco (Linksys's parent company) can only offer a 100 mbps version and it doesnâ€™t have the really nice web based user interface that Linksys and D-Link do. A SOHO Gigabit Wireless Security Router with a web based interface is truly what we call the "bleeding edge of the art". Effectively, this means that the situation is difficult for everyone. There are other options and all have their issues. If you want something that works out of the box, go to Cisco or Netscreen. But, get ready for a user hostile interface with a lower throughput or major bucks. I am having a difficult time with the decision myself. If you chose one of the latter, there's always eBay for the WRVS4400N.

I believe it is NOT POSSIBLE to manually create a FUNCTIONING VPN using a Windows Operating System (XP or Vista), QuickVPN or QuickVPNplus to a WRVS4400N with firmware version 1.00.16 assigned either a static or dynamic IP address in the following scenarios:

1) From a PC on a LAN (behind a NAT router) through the Internet to a WRVS4400N.

2) From a PC on a WAN (not behind a NAT router) through the Internet to a WRVS4400N.

To be clear, a FUNCTIONING VPN is a VPN with the ability to ping all non-firewalled devices on both ends of the VPN. In the cases above, the implementation of NAT-T in the firmware of the WRVS4400N needs to be properly implemented allowing multiple subnet address translations. For the ability to VPN into the WRVS4400N (WAN to LAN) to function well, the advanced VPN menu that is missing in the WRVS4400N firmware needs to be fixed and the missing menu to be able to generate certificates also needs to be fixed.

Of course there are other issues with the WRVS4400N firmware as well including:

1) The ability to manage the router from the WAN using http is not functioning.

2) The ability to manage the router from the WAN using https is not functioning.

3) The host name on the certificate issued by the WRVS4400N does not match the name in the host name table in the router causing the certificates to present a minor error when attempting to manage the router from the WAN using https.

There is no way that the WRVS4400N firmware version 1.0016 was either product inspected or beta tested prior to release. I hope that Linksys understands that this is a critical issue with the router reducing its functionality to a basic wireless router for the majority of users. This issue needs immediate attention with a beta firmware release 1.00.17 as soon as possible. I know that the Linksys Division of Cisco is only about 350 employees in Irvine and they are enjoying the ability to bask in the glory of Cisco stock. Yet, Cisco is about to get a lot requests for a Linksys to Cisco trade up offer.

I've given up on what I largely consider a piece of crap that's turned me off to any further Linksys products for the forseeable future. From the .12 firmware to present I've had too many problems to count. Low performance over wireless. QuickVPN basically being nonfunctional. Periodic crashes. Poor support for any kind of DDNS. Problems when ISP provides a static IP. Many basic features present in $35 router/switch throwaways from Best Buy that are absent here. And for the most part, all discussion on this product here and elsewhere is negative. Nobody really seems to like this product.